FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · VIRGINIA

GREAT CLIPS franchise in Virginia: what the public record shows

Franchisees of GREAT CLIPS in Virginia have taken 18 SBA loans since 1991 (average $371,988), and of the 14 loans whose story has ended, 7.1% were charged off — versus 5.0% for GREAT CLIPS nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.

SBA loan outcomes · Virginiavs national

Loans in VA

18

Resolved

14

Local charge-off

7.1%

National charge-off

5.0%

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = VA. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor.

Market density · Virginia vs nationalDense market

Businesses in this industry

2,789

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

31.7

national 26.6

Versus the country

+19%

denser

Every business in GREAT CLIPS's industry operating in Virginia — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Virginia5 systems
SystemLoans in VALocal charge-offUnits in VA
SUPERCUTS10thin24
European Wax Centers-Galleria8thin
Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa6thin
Planet Beach6thin
Fantastic Sams5thin

Same sector, same state, same public records — how GREAT CLIPS compares to the systems a buyer in Virginia would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.

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